Belen Buscemi is a 17-year-old Argentinian who is spending the year in Bermuda, attending the postgraduate year at Saltus.

She is one of four foreign students here as part of Rotary International's exchange student programme. The other three are from Japan, Brazil, and Bosnia.

"I am having a good time," she says. "Where I live is cold, so for me it's very different... The people in Argentina are maybe more friendly, but they are good people here.

"If somebody has the possibility of doing this (Rotary Exchange) - do it," she adds. "It's a very good experience."

"It's probably one of the best experiences that anyone could have in their lives," agrees Jereme Ramsay, president of the Bermuda Rotaract Club (a youth division of Rotary International) and a former Rotary exchange student to Brazil. "You come back and you're fluent in another language, you're more open to other cultures - you come back with more of an understanding of the world, different people... because it's you adapting to them, not them adapting to you."

"There are currently ten Bermudians who are on exchange through the Rotary programme," says Walter Saul, coordinator of the programme in Bermuda. "We have two in France, three in Brazil, two in Ecuador, one in Taiwan, one in the Philippines, and one in Mexico.

"Bermuda always does really good with this," he told The Royal Gazette. "We have four students (that we are hosting) here, but ten (Bermudians) have gone out - we really get the good end of the stick." Seven more Bermudians will be going on exchange next year.

Many of the students have found that their experience abroad has helped them once they return to Bermuda, Mr. Saul added. For instance, a student who was sent to Chile several years ago now works for Latin American Re, while one who spent the year in Germany now handles the Bank of Bermuda's German clients.

"Bermuda belongs to the New York (Rotary) district," he said. "There are 40 clubs in our district." The guidance departments of secondary schools in each district get applications for the exchange programme from Rotary International each year in September or October.

"We're not looking for the best and the brightest," Mr. Saul warned. "We're looking for outgoing people, people who can be dropped into a strange place with a host family and a host club... people who can be more or less goodwill ambassadors for Bermuda.

"It is a cultural exchange - they do go to school," he said. The students attend high school in their host countries, where they are forced to learn the language as well as meet their peer group. "Putting them right in the thick of it," Mr. Saul commented. "But it is not for an academic experience."

"The biggest problem is finding host families," said Mr. Saul. "It's not really a big deal (to host a student)... all they need is a host mom and dad, a bed and a place to study - a place they know they can have meals with the family.

"They (host families) don't have to be Rotary families," he added. However as Rotary is responsible for the welfare of the student the families chosen to host should be known to a member of Rotary.

"The more students we can host, the more we can send," Mr. Saul added.